The Salem witchcraft events began in late February 1692 and lasted
through April, 1693. All told, at least twenty-five people died:
nineteen were executed by hanging, one was tortured to death, and at
least five died in jail due to harsh conditions. Over 160 people were
accused of witchcraft, most were jailed, and many deprived of property
and legal rights. Accused persons lived in the town of Salem and Salem
Village (now Danvers) and in two dozen other towns in eastern Massachusetts Bay Colony. Nearly fifty
people confessed to witchcraft, most to save themselves from immediate
trial. Hundreds of other people in the Bay Colony -- neighbors,
relatives, jurors, ministers, and magistrates -- were caught up in the
legal proceedings of the trials. In October 1692, Governor William Phips ended the
special witchcraft court in Salem. Accusations soon abated and
eventually stopped. In January, the new Superior Court of Judicature
began to try the remaining cases and eventually cleared the jails. After
Salem trials, no one was convicted of witchcraft in New England. During
the Salem trials, more people were accused and executed than in all the
previous witchcraft trials in New England.